Video games or electronic games have become extremely popular in recent years, and the technology for such games has progressed from the original arcade-type game apparatus to home-type game apparatus which is typically connected to a TV receiver, and more recently, to hand held portable game apparatus. Arcade-type and home-type game apparatus allow two or more players to compete with each other so long as they use the same game apparatus, and the recently introduced hand held apparatus typically is useable by only a single player. Even the arcade-type and home-type game apparatus do not provide the capability of interactive play by individuals at locations remote from each other.
Some efforts to link game apparatus are known in the prior art. For example, Bromley U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,444 discloses an electronic football game with a central simulated playing field and two control panels which may be simultaneously and interactively used by two players. However, the approach illustrated by the Bromley patent continues to suffer disadvantages, in that the game apparatus is dedicated to a single game, and the control panels, while separate from each other, are physically linked within the same apparatus structure.
Another approach is illustrated by Takashima U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,342, which discloses a central "dealer unit" and a plurality of individual player units responsive to the central dealer unit. The overall apparatus used in the general approach illustrated by Takashima is not limited to a single game, and may be utilized by a plurality of players interacting with the single dealer unit, but does not allow two players to directly interact except through the central dealer unit. Sitrick U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,509 illustrates an approach in which two or more players remote from each other may engage in interactive game play with the disclosed game apparatus, but the Sitrick approach continues to utilize a central game controller unit. Under the approach illustrated by Sitrick, there is no provision for two players to directly interact in electronic game play except by routing communications between the game units through a central controller system.
Therefore, there remains a gap in the art related to electronic game apparatus which is demonstrated by the lack of such game apparatus which can be directly linked for interactive play between two or more individuals at remote locations without the need for routing signals through a central control point. Further, there is no known provision in the art for remote, individual recording of game scores or point totals achieved by players engaged in interactive electronic game play.